The Big Girl Bed

A red-letter day for us here at Shea HQ. Today is the day that IT arrived:

THE BIG GIRL BED.

The Wee Lass has been wound up most of the last week in anticipation. She had been in a little people bed, basically a souped-up futon, for what seems like a long time now. We had been discussing the switch for a couple weeks, and it wasn't sinking into my headbone.

The Spouse did all the legwork (she is a world-class hunter when it comes to online shopping), picking out a sorta-traditional looking four-poster with beadboard ends and round ball finials on the posts. It even matched very well with the other stuff in Wee Lass's Royal Sleeping Chamber. Her Highness was on the verge of wetting herself when she found out that it was due to arrive today. "MY NEEWWWW BEEEDDDD! YAYYYY!" Too cute for words, honey, now go wipe yourself off.

I got the call from home around 3:00: 'Target subject has been delivered. Assembly complete. Operation Sleeping Beauty Makeover is underway!' Excellent. At this point, even I was getting excited in anticipation. I zipped home, and arrived to...vacant silence. The Wee Lass was at her usual station, scribbling absently in a coloring book while staring all slack-jawed at the latest SpongeBob episode. A gentle reminder from her moms broke the trance, THEN she said "Daddy, I'll show you my new BED!" while falling all over herself. So we rushed upstairs.

There it was, pushed into the corner and looking like it was taking up half the room. Man, it looked big! Much bigger than I would have thought. The princess was jumping up on the bed, well, TRYING to jump up on the bed: taller than her old one. She was babbling about how pretty it was and look new pillows and pink! pink! bedspread! with Hello Kitty sheets and polka dots and Daddy, Daddy, guess what? this bed is good for jumpin', watch, watch this! Boing, Boing... Such glee, such unfettered unselfconsciousness in action. How cool is that, to be so excited about a bed? For me to get that kind of happy takes, oh, a new stereo or a lap dance.

After showing me all the cool stuff, testing out the pillow and declaring that we could 'read books in bed tonight' she gave me a hug and we went back downstairs for dinner. Actually, we finished watching SpongeBob, then we had dinner.

What my big girl did not know, bouncing around and watching me with those brilliant baby blues, was that this new piece of furniture isn't just a bed. It is a milestone, reminding me that she is growing, faster than I ever imagined possible. Four years ago, I was freaking out because I had just become a new dad with an eternity ahead of me. Now I'm freaking out because time is flyin', my girl is growing like the proverbial weed and I am beginning to forget what it was like to hold her in two hands with her head on my shoulder. I watched her back, smiling like a fool and trying to swallow the lump in my throat. We'll grow up together, she and I.

Tonight, we'll go jumping on the Big Girl Bed.